In his casual shirt and khakis, he looked like any visitor to Misericordia on that fall day in 1997 - a parent of a prospective student, perhaps.

But this was no ordinary visitor. He was a candidate for Misericordia's 12th presidency, going undercover to see if the small suburban college in Dallas would be the right fit for him.

Michael A. MacDowell, Ph.D., liked what he saw, and the board of trustees liked him.

Since being named to head the school on July 1, 1998, Dr. MacDowell has transformed College Misericordia into Misericordia University, increasing programs, buildings, students, donations and sports. Dr. MacDowell's achievements include a new residence hall, field house, fitness center, extensive campus renovations and new academic programs. Under his guidance, enrollment grew from 1,650 in fall of 1998 to a record 3,012 in fall of 2012.

With his wife Tina - a veteran educator with a gift for organizing - Dr. MacDowell has worked hard to improve not only the university but the surrounding community, with projects including helping form the Back Mountain Area Council of Governments.

After 15 years, Dr. MacDowell, 66, says it's time to retire. Thomas J. Botzman, Ph.D., will take the helm on July 1 to steer Misericordia into its next phase of growth.

The MacDowells plan to stay active in the region, dividing their time between Harveys Lake and Bonita Springs, Fla.

"We have mixed emotions," Dr. MacDowell said. "We're happy to have time for ourselves. We're pleased that things are going well, but we're sad because, as I've said, the best part of the job is the students."

Dr. MacDowell shared his philosophy: "Take your job and what you do seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously."

When Dr. Albert B. Anderson decided to retire as Misericordia's 11th president in 1997, Misericordia board member Paul "Chip" Siegel headed the search committee for a replacement.

Mr. Siegel recalls at that time, Misericordia was in a state of upheaval, having gone through three presidents in four or five years. There were about 80 applicants for the position.

Monsignor John J. Bendik, who has been on Misericordia's board of directors for about 17 years and served as campus minister from 1981-86, recalls that during the search "there was another fellow we were a little more interested in."

But what tipped the scales in favor of Dr. MacDowell was the undercover visit.

"He said it was a good fit," Monsignor Bendik recalled. "We thought, 'There's a guy who did his homework.'

"He got my nod - very, very much so."

For his part, Dr. MacDowell found that "Misericordia seemed to have a good sense of itself." He also saw the challenge of an institution that "hadn't lived up to what it could do."

"What I remember about it was how dedicated not only the board, but the faculty, staff and students â¦ as well as alumni were to the place. That was very enticing," Dr. MacDowell said.

Contact the writer: eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

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